WWE TLC 2015 Preview and Predictions

No scrubs. Except in the main event.

Ryback vs. Rusev

Ryback has improved and Rusev is a good wrestler. I just don’t care about them. I have no interest in this. The story of WWE. Big fan of Lana’s hair tbh.

Interest Level: 1/10 (+1 for Lana’s hair)Prediction: Ryback wins.

Tim:

I believe there’s a great character to be brought out of Ryback’s personality but WWE has yet to find it. He’s alright in the ring but nothing worth being excited for. Rusev is in a really weird spot right now but he’s still an entertaining in-ring performer against the right opponent. I don’t think Ryback is the guy to bring it out of him. I have no reason to care about this match.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Rusev wins.

Tom:

It’s been sort of fascinating to see how they’ve handled Lana’s return. Probably for the best that they’ve gone out of their way to just whitewash the Rusev/Ziggler feud, but strange that everything’s just been reset, seemingly.

Ryback feuds are a tough deal. He’s much better than he was, but there never seems to be a point to them. I still bloody love Rusev, but the Lana situation and The League of Nations deal do make it difficult. I wish he’d just go back to not wearing shoes and being a mad old Russian bastard.

Interest Level: 2/10Prediction: Ryback wins.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger in a Chairs Match for the United States Championship

Joey:

Fuck this company. Jack fucking Swagger? Are you shitting me? My new theory is that WWE signed Alberto Del Rio just to make him look stupid, Del Rio stopped caring the second he saw Jack Swagger was his big opponent and now we’re all witnessing the ridiculous match that made Wrestlemania 29 a joke. Literally any opponent for Del Rio would have been better. Where is Fandango? Maybe Swagger misses his flight and we witness a dance contest.

Interest Level: -10/10Prediction: Alberto Del Rio wins.

Tim:

This setup was so ass-backwards and made up of 200% pure stupidity. I had to turn the channel every time I saw these men. ADR is a slog in the WWE so far. I don’t even care to watch him wrestle. Where the hell did they find Jack Swagger? The last time I saw him was when he was walking out of Wrestlemania 30 with the fans. This is a joke.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Alberto Del Rio wins.

Tom:

I really don’t know what to say. In a weird way, there’s a novelty to seeing Jack Swagger on an actual PPV in 2015. Will they pair him back with Zeb to give both of them a purpose? Will we see The Fed capitalize on the awfulness of Donald Trump and bring back The Real Americans? God, what a fantastic situation that would be.

Imagine what Del Rio must be thinking about all this. He must just have given up caring, right?

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Del Rio gets paid.

The Wyatt Family vs. ECW in an Elimination Tables Match

Joey:

The Wyatt Family are done. Stick a fork in them. Tommy Dreamer in 2015. What a fucking world. This is just a disaster. The Wyatts will likely sweep them 4-0 by putting all of the ECW guys through tables with no eliminations on their end but it’s too late. The Dudz and Tommy Dreamer are their PPV match in 2015.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: The Wyatt Family wins.

Tim:

The actual nerve it takes to be playing off of ECW nostalgia at this point is absolutely ludicrous. The Wyatts continue to not be worth a damn thanks to being booked like complete goofs over and over again. Bray Wyatt has still never said one thing that has made any sense. I’m not trying to be hard on the WWE but the company is complete shit currently and we deserve better. The great roster WWE has deserves better. This show looks horrendous. They have to make some huge changes.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: The Wyatt Family wins.

Tom:

Good lord, this show! I actually have time for Rhyno and I feel pity for Devon, but I don’t want to see Bubba or Tommy Dreamer ever again. Poor Luke Harper, he seemed to be getting an opportunity to have fun matches for a while and then he got pulled back into Wyatt feuds.

Braun Strowman is maybe the most off-putting wrestler I’ve seen for a while. He seems like a TNA big guy, you know? Just barely functional. Rob Terry-esque.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: The Wyatts win.

Charlotte vs. Paige for the Divas Championship

Joey:

Holy shit. This just keeps getting worse with each match. The two most overrated female wrestlers in WWE get another PPV to have another boring match. Both characters are unlikable and they may be the two least interesting female wrestlers on the entire roster.

I am very much looking forward to the Boston crowd chanting “We Want Sasha” for the entire match.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: We Want Sasha chants.

Tim:

Their last go around was linked together nonsense with absolutely no heart. They bumbled around for way too long and it completely lost my already low interest. It’s frustrating because there are some really good women on the roster and these are the two they choose to highlight.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Charlotte wins.

Tom:

I’m now thinking of ways to spend my time instead of watching most of this show. The matches these two have been bizarre. Like, the last PPV match felt like watching a videogame. I find whining about ring psychology incredibly dull for the most part, but it really was just a sequence of moves, a completely soulless experience.

Giving this a 1/10 on the off-chance Paige says some reprehensible stuff about any deceased Flair family members to make me laugh.

Interest Level: 1/10Prediction: Charlotte wins.

The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos in a Ladder Match for the Tag Team Championship

Joey:

I am glad to see the tag titles spotlighted in an attraction match so finally I can say I’m looking forward to a match here. Kofi Kingston is always great in a ladder match and I assume the others will step up to the moment in a show-stealing match. It’s pretty sad that there’s no real hype going into this match aside from good wrestlers jumping off ladders but hopefully something good comes out of it.

Interest Level: 8/10Prediction: The New Day wins.

Tim:

This should be the best match on the show. Kalisto should really go all out in this one and show how exciting he can really be to watch. The New Day are the main attraction for me lately as WWE has Kevin Owens getting soda thrown on him by Ambrose. This ladder match should be memorable.

Interest Level: 7/10Prediction: The New Day wins.

Tom:

THANK FUCK FOR THE NEW DAY. THANK FUCK FOR LADDERS. SAVE THIS SHOW.

Interest Level: 10/10Prediction: The New Day win.

Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship

Joey:

My disinterest in Dean Ambrose and my love for Kevin Owens will meet on Sunday. I just can’t find any interest in an Ambrose match right now. I’d just watch a Mid-South match on the Network if I wanted to see him. Yes, that’s a shot. In all seriousness, the match will probably be okay. But I don’t know. This feels like a long night and the momentum may sink it unless it opens the show.

Interest Level: 6/10Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

Tim:

They’ve done neither of these guys a favor in the build for this one. I remember thinking Ambrose was going to get over with his mic skills when he was first signed. Instead he’s somewhat over despite being booked like a completely unlikable Looney Tunes character.

Kevin Owens is one of the most natural at speaking on the mic in the company right now and one of the more unique characters within the WWE Universe yet here I am completely not caring about a match featuring him. The go-home build to this match was Ambrose walking out and throwing a drink in his face ms walking back to the locker room. Out of all the matches I’m not too interested in this is the one that could hopefully surprise me.

Interest Level: 4/10Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

Tom:

It’s incredible that there hasn’t been any time given to these guys to have a promo battle, right? Like, I’m generally disinterested in Ambrose but he’s decent enough on the mic that I think he could keep up with a Kev banter session. So fucking weird.

Anyway, I think the two of them should have a very good match, assuming they have time. The timing of this is strange enough that I’m not sure what to expect out of their feud. Like, I guess they could both use something to keep them busy until at least the Rumble, so it’ll probably go on a while longer? I just hope they add a little more to it so it’s more than just two guys having a scrap. Kevin Owens has been very funny in his deconstruction of how Ambrose’s “lunatic fringe” character is fairly hollow, and I think that could push Ambrose to be a little more interesting but we’ll see!

Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns in a TLC Match for the WWE World Championship

Joey:

Worst feud of the year. At least people disliked Ziggler vs. Rusev. This is just causing people to leave the show early, change the channel and read tweets about tater tots. Both are good wrestlers but I can’t possibly care less about a wrestling match than I do about this.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Sheamus wins.

Tim:

Nah. I can’t get into this one. They’re both so unlikable and it’s been a huge “turn the channel” feud in the worst of ways. I’d be fine if I never heard about either of these two guys again. I don’t care about this match. I don’t care about the two guys in it. The only feelings I do have about this is “just make them go away.”

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Sheamus wins.

Tom:

The ending segment of Raw was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. Like, it felt so completely broken and misguided and it just wouldn’t end! I think this match might end up being a decently fun time, but I’m completely uninvested in it. Spots will happen and then the hot new faction The League of Nations will make the save for Sheamus, star of 2016’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out of the Shadows” and your WWE World Heavyweight Champion.